2010 NFL Draft: Dez Bryant Seems Intent on Damaging His Draft Stock

Dez Bryant entered his private workout yesterday hoping to convince NFL teams around the league that he should be their pick.

However, Bryant seems to have left teams with more questions than answers following the workout in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas.

Bryant didn't take part in last month's NFL Scouting Combine due to a hamstring injury, so this was a great opportunity for him to boost his draft stock and rise up the board.

Having dropped a few passes early on in the day, he was solid once he got in his stride and successfully demonstrated his ability when catching the football.

He posted solid times of 4.52, 4.68, and 4.52 in the 40-yard dash, having been asked to run a third time due to the differences in his first two times. The second run was into the wind, resulting in the discrepancy.

Bryant is not touted as the No. 1 prospect for his speed, though, and posted a good vertical leap with his 38" effort, while recording an 11'1" broad jump. The latter would have been the best recorded by all participants at the Combine.

The Oklahoma State standout also recorded times of 4.48 in the short shuttle and 7.21 in the three-cone drill.

These stats were good—not great. Bryant's workout would not have done anything to boost his stock, but it shouldn't be damaging either.

The issues that will be raised surrounding Bryant are most definitely not performance related.

The most obvious issue coming into the game was that he was suspended throughout his final year due to lying about a meeting with Deion Sanders.

Now, forgive me, but is that really as big a deal as many have made out? He made a mistake about meeting Sanders, and this resulted in him lying about the meeting to avoid a suspension.

Ironically, the lying resulted in a suspension.

Bryant is human. He made a mistake, and I think that this issue should not affect his draft stock.

However, he did raise more concerns with his attitude at the workout.

Firstly, the standout receiver turned up with a 10-man entourage in tow. Seriously? Does this kid think he's J-Lo or something? Next he'll be asking for his own changing room filled with candles, incense, and kittens.

With the exception of inflating his already overinflated ego, why should he require an entourage? It just showcased how desperate Bryant is for attention and showed that he thinks he's more important than he is.

The attitude won't wash with many NFL teams, and although his talent cannot be denied, many will wonder whether he is more interested in money, women, and partying than he is in his career as a footballer.

The second reason he will have raised concerns yesterday is because he forgot his shoes.

Now this is laughable, but there is a reason this may damage his stock.

Bryant could not perform at the Combine.

This was his best chance at boosting his draft stock and demonstrating he has the hard-working attitude required to be a member of an NFL team.

This was the most important day for Bryant leading up to the draft...and he forgets his shoes.

It shows how little thought Bryant put into the day and resulted in him slipping while taking part in both the short shuttle and three-cone drill (leading to him repeating the drills and posting the numbers previously mentioned).

If Bryant can't even remember his shoes for a day that could determine where he begins his NFL career, how is he going to convince teams he is interested in playing for them?

Both these issues show how little Bryant was bothered by the workout. He almost used the event to gather more publicity rather than boost his stock.

With that laissez-faire attitude, Bryant is going to see his stock fall. Ironically, this will probably hurt the one thing Bryant cares about coming into the draft, and that is his NFL paycheck.

The higher Bryant is drafted, the more money franchises will show him. By displaying this attitude, he just highlighted his lack of interest in pushing himself to become a top prospect in the draft.

Bryant clearly isn't bothered by where he'll be drafted. He'll probably display the same attitude throughout his career, and chances are he'll end up being another T.O.

He does have the ability, and I'm sure he will become a top receiver in the NFL and perform well throughout his career.

But he seems destined to let his ego get in the way.

How long will he settle for losing seasons? How long before he blames his own performances on his team's quarterback? How long before he's requesting a trade for a bigger contract?

As a result, he will suffer on draft day, his stock will fall, and he will miss out on the money he wants.